View Full Version : Night Spasms
Does anyone else have problems with spasms primarily at night? During the day, while I'm in my chair, my spasms are fine. Just tone, cloness, and the ocassional spaz. At night though my legs are nuts. They pull up and bend, so I'm all twisted ( I sleep on my back most of the night) so I have to wake up and straighten them out. I'm really losing sleep because of this. My doc gave me valium to take at bedtime but it doesn't help much. The only releif I've found is pot, but that doesn't last very long.
HELP....are there other drugs? or solutions? I'm getting very sleepy every day because of this.
"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible
to find it elsewhere."
--Agnes Repplier, writer and historian
joyfulgirl
05-21-2002, 10:29 AM
hi emi, my spasms are different than yours but excrutiatingly painful just the same. i get mine mostly in my back and rib area so i can't hardly breathe. plus my right arm is giving me fits and i am a para so not related to sci. anyway i take zanaflex 2 mg. 2-3 times per day. when my spasms are really bad my doc says i can take a whole one-4 mg. it seems to quiet them down in about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. it also puts me to sleep. hope this helps. kathy
SCI-Nurse
05-21-2002, 01:29 PM
Emi - You have just answered my question in the previous post re: sleeping position. Do you have a bed that you can adjust? If so, I would suggest that you elevate your knees slightly. If not, use a small pillow or towel to elevate only slightly. This will put your legs in a more comfortable and natural position; it reduces a lot of the pulling on the back of your legs and into the lower back. If you roll a towel (hand or small bath towel) and position it snugly against your upper thigh, it will help the rolling of your leg. I would also suggest that a bath blanket or large towel rolled at the foot of the bed may help reduce the foot drop.
Do you do any stretching at bedtime? For my own patients that have had the spasticity as you describe, a good stretching routine does seem to help. CRF
Sue Pendleton
05-21-2002, 02:32 PM
I tried zanaflex and it turned even my volitional muscles to jelly. Not good when you need them for transfers. I'd suggest trying that or sign up for the 4-AP trial beginning soon. Many of the centers are in Canada and I have found I don't have much in the way of night spazes since I've been taking it. My first 2 years post were miserable because of spasms waking me every 20 minutes. I hear you. They suck big time. It helped a little if I slept on my side too.
Even bad spasms don't change your position much. If I'm sleeping on my back spasms will cause my legs to cross or to pull me to the side or any number of problems. While sleeping on my stomach I usually just get lower back spasms that feel really good and tighten up my lower back. YMMV.
~See you at the SCIWire-used-to-be-paralyzed Reunion http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/wavey.gif ~
Thanks guys,
I'll give some suggestions a try. Hope they work. Does anyone take spasticity med's as needed?
"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible
to find it elsewhere."
--Agnes Repplier, writer and historian
EMI, do you use a footboard or leg splints? Weight from blankets presuring your feet/ankles/toes can cause spasms.
Noel
[This message was edited by Noel on May 23, 2002 at 02:17 AM.]
This is driving me nuts!! I did a bunch of ROM/ Stretching, raised my feet, and tried to support my legs so my feet don't twist. No change though... I am soooo tired, literally, of dealing with them all night long. I'm going to see my doctor when I get back from my trip.
"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible
to find it elsewhere."
--Agnes Repplier, writer and historian
Sue Pendleton
05-22-2002, 10:29 AM
I take valium as needed for spasms, Emi. It works fast and works well for me. You may need a higher dose at night then you are getting. Baclofen normally needs a constant amount in the body and so you need to take it daily in a regular pattern. I found that Zanaflex also worked quickly but was too much for the way my spasms are now. If I had tried it when I was first hurt I would have loved it though. Just curious, are your feet cold when you go to bed?
Yeah, they are cold...why? I take 10 mg valium but it doesn't work. Just makes me groggy.
"It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible
to find it elsewhere."
--Agnes Repplier, writer and historian
Have you checked for ingrown toe nails? Ingrown toe nail causes a lot of problems for me. You might cut your nails short so they don't dig in your bedding.
nate007
05-22-2002, 03:14 PM
Mine do that too but I don't wake up to straighten them because it doesn't bother me. It's worse when i'm on my side. Try sleeping on your stomach, works better and helps posture.
SCI-Nurse
05-22-2002, 07:13 PM
Emi - you were asked the question about your feet being cold; I would ask further are they cold only at night or all the time. If cold only at night, I would think the reference to this is whether the cold is triggering the increased spasticity. Do you have some wool or silk socks you can put on? the main precaution is that there are no seams or ridges that can cause pressure areas. Another possible solution would be some lambskin heel pads. CRF
Sue Pendleton
05-23-2002, 08:54 AM
What I found, and it took me awhile, was that as my feet warmed up the spasms started. Ice packs can often stop spasms. I used several in rehab. But when you lie down and your blood begins to circulate better your feet warm. That's when your nerves start acting up. I found that standing helped this enormously. But smaller things also helped a lot. In winter always wear shoes and socks. In summer, at least wear shoes. And in the evening before bed (while I watch TV or read these forums) I microwave a rice filled heat pack and wrap that around my ankles. Very little chance of burns because it goes over your jeans or pants and rice, unlike the gel filled packs, doesn't seem to get hot spots. I may do this two or 3 times if it's been really cold. And my left leg is often cold when my right is not. You can check out some rice packs at the following URL and maybe find someone to make them if you know someone that sews.
http://www.tarotbags.com/
Click on Natural Heating Pads. These are also great sleep aids when wrapped around your neck. Zzzzzz......
SCI-Nurse
05-23-2002, 07:20 PM
Sue - thanks for your interesting post, sharing your findings and experience. Info on rice warm packs is great. CRF
whiterabbit11
05-23-2002, 07:38 PM
EMI,
If you've read many of my posts you'd think I was a sales rep. for medtronic's baclofen pump and Demerol. The only thing that would stop mine, which were miserable was a big I.V. full of Demerol until I had to resort to the pump which was a lifesaver. Probably a last resort but something to think about. Mine has been trouble free and no spasms for a year.WR